Shifting-seat vehicle



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet; 1. O. H. STRATTON.

SHIFTING SEAT VEHICLE.

No. 600,625. Patented Mar. 15, 1898.

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'(No Model.) 2 Sheets- Sheet 2.

G. H. STRATTON.

SHIFTINGSEAT VEHICLE. No. 600,625. Patented Mam-15, 1898.

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NITE STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

CHARLES H. STRATTON, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

SHlFTlNG-SEAT VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,625, dated March 15, 1898.

Application filed S ptember 1'7, 1897. Serial No. 651 ,992. (No model.) A

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. STRATTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shifting-Seat Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to convertible or shifting seat vehicles in which the back of the rear seat folds forwardly under the front seat when the vehicle is used with a single seat, so as to form a deck or deck-panel in that form of the conveyance.

The object of my invention is the production of a vehicle of this character which shall be simple, strong, and durable in construetion and easily convertible from one form to the other and which shall afford convenient side entrances to the rear seat when the vehicle is used as a surrey or two-seated carriage and at the same time present a sightly appearance.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figure l is a side elevation of a vehicle-body containing myinvention, showing the same in the form of a Stanhope or single-seat buggy. Fig. 2 is a vertical lontudinal section showing the same in the form of a surrey or two-seated carriage. a similar section corresponding to the form of vehicle shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a trans verse section in line 4 4:, Fig. 2, looking rearwardly- Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side View with aportion of the rear panel broken away, showing the stops for limiting the unfolding movement of the panels.

Like letters of reference refer'to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the stationary longitudinal sills of the vehicle-body, and A the floor of the same.

B are stationary upright frames or standards which support the front seat 0, and D are stationary sides or panels secured to the outer sides of the front-seat standards and extending to the rear edges of the latter. The

front seat is arranged to slide or jump back- Fig. 3 is 3, and having their upper ends attached to the lower front portion of the seat by similar pivots 6. These levers are preferably elbowshaped, and their lower arms come in contact with the under side of a connecting-bar F of the seat-standards when the seat is shifted forward to its proper position, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to limit the movement of the seat beyond that position. The pivots at the upper ends of the levers form hinges which permit the the rear portion of the seat to be swung upwardly and forwardly, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The tilting movement of the seat is preferably limited by lugs g, located on the under side of the seat in front of the pivots e and arranged to come in contact with the upper arms of the levers, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. v

H is the rear seat, which is hinged at or near its rear edge to a cross-bar H, carried by vertically-swinging side panels I. The lower portions of these side panels are pivoted by transverse bolts 1; to a stationary rear portion J of the body, so that the side panels are capable of assuming theupright position shown in Fig. 2, in which they leave side entrances or openings K between the front and rear seats, or the horizontal position shown in Fig. 1, in which they close said side entrances and form continuations of the side panels D of the front-seat standards.

The rear-seat panels are made of the proper length to form a close joint with the rear edges of the front-seat panels, as shown in Fig. 1, and the lower or rear portions of the panels extend rearwardly beyond their pivots the proper distance to conincide with the rear wall of the fixed body portion J. The stationary rear portion J of the body extends above the sills A and forms the rear end of the body when the vehicle is used with a single seat. It consists of posts or short uprights 7', upright side walls j, a rear wall 3' and a curved deck portion 9' L is the back of the rear seat, which is rigidly secured to the rear edges of the rear-seat panels I, so as to move with the same. This back extends upwardly a snffioient distance to form a closed top or deck for the vehiclebody when the same is converted into the single-seat or Stanhope form, the back being preferably made long enough to fold un-- thereon.

der the front seat, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In this form of the vehicle the lower or rear portion of the back L forms a continuation of the fixed deck portion 9' and terminates at such a distance from the lower or rear ends of the rear-seat panels as to form a neat and closed joint with the front edge of said fixed deck portion, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. For this purpose the back extends a short distance below the pivoted rear seat in the normal position of the latter. The rear seat in its unfolded position is supported in front of its hinges upon the fixed rear portion J of the body.

The unfolding movement of the rear-seat panels is arrested when the same reach a vertical position by stops m, arranged on the inner sides of the panels below their pivots and bearing against corresponding stops 'm, ar-

ranged on the adjacent portion of the vehiclebody, as shown in Fig. 5.

When the vehicle is in the form of a single buggy, phaeton, or Stanhope, the back of the rear seat lies folded under the front seat,

the latter is in its backward position, and the panels of the rear seat close the side entrances of the body, giving the bod y substantially the appearance of a phaeton or Stanhope, while the rear seat rests in an inclined position on the sills of the body, as shown in Fig. 3. When it is desired to convert the vehicle from this form into a two-seated carriage, the front seat is tilted forwardly to the dotted position shown in Fig. 2 and the back of the rear seat is unfolded to the upright position shown in the same figure, whereby the panels, I, se-

cured to the back, are swung upwardly and backwardly to their upright position, forming the side entrances K. At the same time the hinged rear seat rides over the fixed rear portion J of the vehicle-body, whereby it is elevated to a horizontal position, and its front portion is properly supported. In this form of the vehicle the rear seat and its back and side panels extend rearwardly beyond the fixed rear portion J of the body. After unfolding the rear seat the front seat is shifted to its forward position to properly balance the vehicle.

In converting the vehicle from the twoseated to the single-seat form the front seat is tilted forwardly, the back of the rear seat is folded forwardly and downwardly under the front seat, and the latter is then swung down again and shifted to its backward position. In folding the back the rear seat swings down until its front edge strikes the sills of the body, when it slides along the same and rests To diminish the jar of the seat against the sills, the same is preferably provided on its under side with rounded or beveled shoes 01, whereby the seat is deflected upon coming in contact with the sills.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with the front seat of the vehicle and the stationary front panels of the body terminating near the rear edge of the front seat, forming side entrances in rear of said seat, of a stationary upright rear frame rising from the rear end of the body, and provided at its top with a deck portion, a rear seat provided with side panels pivoted at their lower rear ends to opposite sides of said stationary rear frame, and adapted to close against the rear edges of said fixed panels when lowered, and aback for the rear seat attached to said pivoted panels, terminating at a distance from the rear or lower ends of said pivoted panels and forming a continuation of the deck portion of said stationary rear frame when folded or lowered, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the front seat of the vehicle and the stationary front panels of the body terminating near the rear edge of the front seat, forming side entrances in rear of said seat, a rear seat provided with side panels pivoted at or near their rear ends to the rear portion of the vehicle-body and arranged to close against the rear edges of said stationary panels when lowered, said seat being pivotally connected with its side panels, a back for the rear seat rigidly secured to said pivoted panels, extending above and below said seat, and forming a deck for the ve hicle-body when lowered, and a stationary frame rising from the rear end of the body and carrying a deck portion which forms a continuation of said back when the latter is lowered and supports the front portion of the rear seat when said back is unfolded to its normal position, substantially as set forth.

3. In a convertible vehicle, the combination with a front seat capable of moving backward and forward on its supports, of an upright lever fulcrumed on the seat-supports and having its upper arm pivoted to the front portion of the seat and adapted to engage with its lower arm against a stationary portion of the vehicle-body, for limiting the forward movement of the seat, substantially as set forth.

4. In a convertible vehicle, the combination with a front seat capable of moving backward and forward on its supports or standards, and a cross-bar connecting said supports, of upright levers fulcrumed on the seat-supports in front of and below said cross-bar and havin g their upper arms pivoted to the front edge of the seat and adapted to engage with their lower arms against said cross-bar, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 14th day of September, 1897.

c. H. STRATTON.

\Vitnes'ses:

CARL F. GEYER, KATHRYN ELMORE. 

